Frame for bags and the like



D. SOLOMON FRAME FOR BAGS AND THE 'LIKE Filed April 23, 1957 i ,flllllllllllf r f l 4 Nov. 4, 1958 United States Patent" FRAME FOR BAGS AND THE LIKE Daniel Solomon, New York, N. Y., assignor to Kwik Mold Plastic Corp., New York, N. Y., a corporation of New Jersey Application April 23, 1957, Serial No. 654,522

1 Claim. (Cl. ISU-1.6)

This invention relates to an improved foldable bag, more particularly to a bag such as a brief bag constructed in la novel manner.

It has long been va problem in the manufacture of foldable bags and luggage to economically and securely fasten the body of the article to the frame, particularly the upper frame.

The prior art shows many complicated devices for accomplishing this result, for example, the use of specially constructed inserts composed of prongs intended to dig into the fabric and hence hold it in place. The disadvantages of such a means are quite readily apparent, for example, the internal prongs comprise a separate and additional piece which must be inserted into the frame itself, creating the necessity of special forming means to manufacture such a prong as well as the need for additional labor to insert this device in the frame.

In addition, there is always the likelihood of the fabric tearing as a result of the action of the prongs if a considerable weight is placed in the bag.

Other devices of :similar nature all have the same defects, that is, difliculty of manufacture and assembly, together with the probable tearing of the fabric.

Furthermore, particularly in the event that the fabric is a plastic, this tendency towards tearing is increased since once the piece of plastic is pierced (such as by a prong), its tendency towards further rupture is greatly increased.

It is among the objects of this invention to provide a means of afxing the fabric body of a foldable bag to the frame thereof which is economical and easy to assemble.

It is also among the objects of this invention to provide a frame for a foldable bag of such character that it may be formed and manufactured by extrusion of metal, plastic or the like.

It is further among the objects of this invention to provide a frame for a foldable bag which will present a at or smooth outer face to view when the bag is complete without any bumps or grooves apparent thereon.

It is still further among the objects of this invention to provide a frame for foldable bags which will securely grip a strip of material without danger of slippage or tearing even though the material be plastic in nature.

It is still further among the objects of this invention to provide a means whereby the material constituting the body of the bag may be permanently affixed to the strip which in turn is gripped by the frame.

In practicing this invention there is provided a foldable bag consisting of a body and a frame comprising a pair of frame sections. The body may be composed of any flexible or semi-ilexible suitable material such as leather, plastic, fabric and the like.

The frame is preferably formed of some extrudable metal such as aluminum and is provided with an opening in one edge thereof. This opening may take the form of a modied slot such as will be described in detail herein. Alternatively the frame may be U-shaped ice in cross-section so that a strip of material may be linserted between the legs of the U.

In the preferred form of the invention, the frame having one side at, has a slot formed in one edge by bulging the other side outwardly, forming an opening which is narrow at the entrance and has an enlarged area beyond said entrance.

In general, this gives the slot an appearance in crosssection very much like that of a standard key hole.y A strip of material is inserted in the slot and the entrance area `crimped together. This provides an excellentgripping surface and will prevent the strip from tearing or slipping out of the frame.

The body of the bag is then sewncr otherwise aix'ed to the strip in such a manner that the material is flush with the outside of the frame. Y I Y ln the accompanying drawings constituting a part hereof and in which like reference characters indicate like parts',

Fig. 1 is a perspective view of a completed brief case made in accordance with the disclosure of this invention;

Fig. 2 is a partially cut away exploded view of the frame, strip and body of a bag such as shown in Fig. 1;

Fig. 3 is an enlarged view showing the frame and the strip prior to the attachment of the latter to the former;

Fig. 4 is a cross-sectional view along line 4-4 of Fig. 2 and shows the strip crimped onto the frame;

Fig. 5 is a cross-section along line 5-5 of Fig. l, showing the completed assembly; and

Fig. 6 is a view similar to that of Fig. 4 showing a modified form of the frame.

Referring particularly to Figs. 1 and 2, there is provided a foldable bag 1 composed of a body 2 sewn to a strip 7 which in turn is gripped by frame 3 which is comprised of a pair of frame sections. The bag is provided with a handle 4 affixed by brackets 5 to frame 3. The frame 3 is hinged at 6 to permit closing of the bag 1. Latching of the bag is accomplished by the interaction of tongue 8 carrying at its farthest extremity clamp 9 which is provided with latch bar 10. The opposite side of the bag from that to which the base of tongue S is aixed carries a protector 11 and a latch plate 12 with latch openings 13 into which latch bar 10 is adapted to be inserted.

Frame 3 is provided with flat outer side 16 and a slot running along one edge thereof composed of a narrow entrance 14 and an enlarged inner portion 15.

The body 2 is aixed to strip 7 by means of stitches the slot in frame 3 and into enlarged portion 15. In-

ner bulge 20 is then crimped tightly against strip 7, permanently binding it in place. The enlarged portion 15- provides space for the excess material in strip 7 and enables' a better grip to be obtained upon the strip;

Body 2 is then sewn with stitches 17 onto strip 7. The thickness of the material used in body 2 is equal to the thickness of the outer leg 21. This insures that the t between frame 3 and body 2 will be ush on the outside and present a pleasing appearance to the eye.

The same precaution as to thickness of the fabric comprising body 2 should be observed when the modication as disclosed in Fig. 6 is used. The reasons forv doing so are, of course, the same as those advanced on behalf of use of the preferred form of the invention. 3

While only two formsof this invention have been specifically described, nevertheless the invention is to be broadly construed and not to be limited except by the character of the claim appended hereto.

I claim: v l

In a foldable bag consisting of a body and a frame comprising a pair of U-shaped frame-sections' hinged .together at their ends and adapted toV come in sliding contact tovclose said bag, the improvement which comprises svaid section being of rectangular cross-section and vhaving parallel faces, one of said faces of one frame section being flat throughout its depth on its outer side, the other of said faces thereof `having a protuberance along its lower edge only, forming an opening of keyl hole shape in cross-section along the lower edge of said one frame section, one of said faces' of the other frame section being flat throughout its depth on its inner side .solas .to contact the corresponding face of said one 4 frame section when the bag is closed to forni a seal by one of said at faces sliding over and in contact with said other flat face, the other face of said other frame having a protuberance along the outside of its lower edge only, forming an opening of key-hole shape in crossy References Cited in the le of this patent f UNITED STATES PATENTS 1,492,261 Nover Apr. 29, 1924 2,200,972 Stein May 14, 1940 FOREIGN PATENTS 252,467 Switzerland Sept. 16, 1948 

